Overschie and Hillegersberg-Schiebroek are two districts in the north of Rotterdam. The districts are bound by the Rotte (from which Rotterdam gets its name) in the east, the A20 highway in the south, the river Schiedamse Schie (one of the branches of the Schie that goes to Schiedam) in the west and the Berkelse Zweth and Oude Bovendijk waterways in the north. Within the district lies Zestienhoven polder, which is home to Rotterdam-The Hague airport (IATA: RTM).
Northern Rotterdam consists of four historical places north of the A20 motorway and the sprawl of the city of Rotterdam around it. These places being Overschie, which was located around the four branches of the river Schie, Schiebroek, a former peat-harvesting colony which in the 1920s boomed as a 'tuinstad' (garden city), Hillegersberg, a town built around the former Ten Berghe castle, which was destroyed in 1426, and Terbregge, a small town on the banks of the river Rotte.
Within Northern Rotterdam lies Rotterdam-The Hague Airport 📍 (IATA: RTM). Compared to the close-by Schiphol, this single-runway airport isn't very noteworthy, but can be cheaper to fly into with a direct flight than Schiphol. Flights to and from Rotterdam are mostly operated by Transavia, which flies to Ibiza, Barcelona, London City Airport, Leipzig, Palma de Mallorca and Bergamo among others. The airport is not too far from the Meijersplein metro station, which can be reached by bus line 33. Several car rental agencies are also located at the airport.
If all goes well, the district is to be (almost) completely surrounded by highways by 2024, which connect to virtually any place in the rest of the country with ease. Until then, coming from most of North- and South-Holland, the A13 is your best bet. From Utrecht, and any part of the country east of it, take the A12 heading for Gouda, after which you switch onto the A20. From Dordrecht and most of Noord-Brabant and Limburg, take the A16 towards Rotterdam.
As of 2022, the A13 and A20 border the district on the western and southern sides. To get from one to another, you will have to use the Kleinpolderplein Interchange, which is quite notorious for its congestion within and out of rush hour. Both highways are connected through a flyover. From the A13 onto the A20, this is the leftmost flyover, which follows Rotterdam's ring clockwise. In the opposite direction, there is only one flyover, going in the direction of Delft. Directions to key parts of the district are as follows:
Northern Rotterdam has one train station to its name on the line between Rotterdam and Gouda: 📍. This train station has three "Sprinter" services (stopping trains) call here. One of those connects to Gouda and Utrecht, the other connects to Breukelen, Amsterdam and Uitgeest. At those kinds of distances though, it is faster to take an "Intercity" service via Rotterdam Centraal or Rotterdam Alexander instead.
A central connector for the district is line E of Rotterdam's metro. This service runs between Slinge and Rotterdam Centraal to the south, and with The Hague in the north. Line E has two stops in Schiebroek: 📍 and 📍. The latter connects Rotterdam-The Hague Airport with the Rotterdam Metro via bus line 33, which terminates at this station.
The eastern half of the district (Hillegersberg) is connected to Rotterdam Noord via tramline 4. Overschie in the west is only served by buses. The lines calling in Overschie are:
Van Nellefabriek (Van Nelle Factory), Van Nelleweg 1, 3044BC (Bus 38, Beukelsbrug stop, 8 min from Rotterdam Centraal), 51.92285°, 4.43470°. Only by guided tours by UrbanGuides Jul-Aug: Tu-Su; Sep-Jun Sa,Su. A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2014. It is an icon of 20th century industrial architecture. It looks great even from outside. It is also well visible from the train (left side if the train goes to Rotterdam from the Hague). €15; online booking 2021-10-19
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Plaswijckpark, Ringdijk 20 (), 51.95611°, 4.48139°, +31 104 181 836, info@plaswijckpark.nl. Opens 10:00, closes 17:00 (Nov - Mar), 18:00 (May 19 - Oct); 19:00 (Jul 17 - Aug 29). Small amusement park, mostly aimed at parents with young children and school classes. The park houses mostly animals from mainland Europe, but also has meerkats, wallabies, coatis, and several species of small monkeys. 2021-10-24
Rotterdam Tram Museum (Stichting RoMeO), Kootsekade 19 (), 51.94493°, 4.48483°, +31 612 042 666. Limited opening days as listed on website. Refer to the Dutch version for the most up-to-date information.. Located in an old tram depot, the museum has dozens of old trams, metros and buses on display that at some point in time services the greater Rotterdam area. The museum and heritage train rides through the city centre are organised and run by volunteers, so opening hours may vary wildly. Age 4-11, 65+: €3; age 12-64: €5 2022-04-20
Lage Bergse Bos (Low (Hillegers)bergse Forest). Originally a region where peat was claimed for burning in Rotterdam households, leaving the area as a wetland. The area was reclaimed thereafter, and in 1970 the region was transformed into a forested park of .
Hoge Bergse Bos (High (Hillegers)bergse Forest). Located somewhat further from Rotterdam, the Hoge Bergse Bos is the hillier brother of the Lage Bergse Bos. These hills formed due to human interaction, with the area being used for dumping demolition- and building scraps. It is this terrain that gives the Hoge Bergse Bos some of its qualities for activities.
Enjoy the countryside in polder Schieveen with spectacular views on the skyline of Rotterdam. This polder is situated just north of the airport and for a large part in the original state since the area was reclaimed after peat harvesting. Plans for a business park and new nature in the form of marsh/wetlands were torpedoed due to the recession and to protect species (especially birds) associated with the pastures. Since 2016 the area is preserved as a cultural landscape where nature is protected. New paths for cycling and walking have been added. Note that parts of the polder are closed 1 March - 1 July to protect birds breeding in the polder.
The essential supermarkets are all located in central locations within Overschie and Schiebroek-Hillegersberg: In Overschie, almost all supermarkets and most common shops are found along the Burgemeester Baumannlaan.
In Schiebroek-Hillegersberg, shops and restaurants are located along several main roads which all connect to one another, these being:
Another shopping 'artery' of Schiebroek is the Peppelweg ()
Much like the shops, restaurant and other eating venues can be found along the main streets of the towns within the district. In Overschie, most restaurants span along the Burgemeester Baumannlaan. In Hillegersberg, there are two centres around the Bergpolderplein () and around the Bergse Dorpsstraat ().
Other restaurants outside of the town centres are:
In the Spaanse Polder (west of Overschie, north of Schiedam):
Around Rotterdam-The Hague Airport:
In the Bergse Bos (all addresses are located within Bergschenhoek):
The biggest hotel-density of Northern Rotterdam is, somewhat unsurprisingly, found around Rotterdam-The Hague Airport, to the north of Overschie.
Aside from a few B&Bs dotted around Northern Rotterdam, that's all that's on offer within the district. Around the district's edges with Schiedam or Kralingen and Crooswijk, however, there are more than enough hotels and B&Bs to make up for the relative lack of them within the district itself.